Survival shelter for subzero climates



Feb. 21, 1967 J. F. LEE

SURVIVAL SHELTER FOR SUBZERO CLIMATES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 9, 1965 Feb. 21, 1967 J. F. LEE

SURVIVAL SHELTER FOR SUBZERO GLIMATES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 9, 1965 INVENTOR M0174 A 156 United States Patent 3,304,665 SURVIVAL SHELTER FOR SUBZERO CLIMATES John F. Lee, Fort Wainwright, Alaska, assignor to the United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force Filed Aug. 9, 1965, Ser. No. 478,497 2 Claims. (Cl. 52-2) The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the United States Government for governmental purposes without the payment to me of any royalty thereon.

This invention relates to in subzero climates.

One object of the invention is to provide a shelter which is easy to erect, which gives protection from cold weather and which permits compact packaging.

This and other objects will be more fully understood from the following detailed description taken with the drawing wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a shelter according to the invention;

lF'IG. 2 is a FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a wall portion of the shelter of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 shows one door configuration which may be used with the device of FIG. 1.

Aircrew members forced to escape from aircraft in remote cold environments must have adequate shelter if they are to survive. The shelter must be capable of providing adequate protection at temperatures of 40 F. and below, yet must be capable of providing a sufliciently compact package for storage in the survival kit in aircraft. The shelter is made of a material with low air permeability which permits breathing within the shelter but which substantially prevents wind passage.

The shelter is somewhat similar to a sleeping bag but has an inflatable frame or other support means to provide an air space between the person occupying the shelter and the wall of the shelter. The shelter is tapered toward the foot end to provide a substantially uniform air space.

Reference is now made to FIG. 1 of the drawing which shows a shelter 10, having a large arcuate-shaped end 11 and a smaller arcuatesshaped end 1-2, and a tapered arcuate section 13 connecting the two ends. The tapered shelter ltl has walls with inner and outer wall members 14 and 15 of low air permeability nylon fabric which has a tear strength of 8 pounds and a weight of 2 /2 ounces er square yard. The inner and outer wall members 14 and 15 have rib separators 17 connected therebetwecn. The rib separators 17 are made of nylon weighing approximately l /z ounces per square yard. The space between the separators 17 is filled with an insulation material 18, such as northern goose down, or other insulation material that will permit a small air flow therethrough. The shelter which was built has walls of about 4-inch thickness. However, the materials usedand wall thicknesses will be determined by the specific use. The small end of the shelter, not shown, is enclosed with a wall structure of the same construction as described above. The large end of the shelter is provided with a door 19 for entering the shelter but otherwise has the same structure as the side walls and small end 12. The door is provided by two overlapping thin wall sections 21 and 22 as shown a low profile shelter for use partially cutaway view of the shelter of in FIG. 4. The door is held closed by any well-known fastening means such as Velcro Fasteners shown schematically at 23.

The floor 24 as shown in FIG. 2 is made of a single layer of nylon fabric the same as walls 14- and 15.

An inflatable frame 26, as shown in FIG. 2, has a ridge pole 27 and a plurality of arcuate supports 28. The frame is secured to the internal surface of the shelter by means of tabs 29. A pump is connected to a standard inflating valve 31 on support 26, shown schematically at 30, for inflating thesupport frame. One material which has been used for the frame tubes is a Mylar-Dacron laminate.

In the operation of the shelter of the invention, the shelter, which may be stored in a package somewhat like a sleeping bag bedroll, is unpacked and laid upon the ground with the floor section adjacent the ground. The pump 30 is then operated to inflate the support frame. The person using the shelter then enters the shelter and secures the door. The shelter is heated by body heat and heat radiated from the ground through the single layer of nylon fiber.

In one test the following results were obtained with a pound man in the shelter and an outside air temperature of --52 F.

Inside air, F. Rear of shelter:

On floor of shelter 44 3" from top 58 Middle of shelter:

3" above floor 55 3" below top 63 Front of shelter:

3" above floor 59 3" from top 64 There is thus provided a shelter which is easy to erect, which gives protection from cold weather and which permits compact packaging.

While a particular embodiment has been described, it is obvious that numerous changes may be made without departing from the general principle and scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. A low profile completely closed shelter for providing protection for a man at extremely low temperatures; comprising a first arcuate-shaped end wall; a second arcuateshaped end wall larger than said first end wall; a tapered arcuate Wall member connecting said first end wall and said second wall; said first end wall and said second end wall and said tapered arcuate wall member having 11 inner wall member of low air permeability material, an outer wall member of low air permeability material and an air permeable insulating material between said inner wall member and said outer wall member to permit breathing within the shelter and to substantially prevent wind passage heat radiation through said walls; a floor member, of low air permeability material, secured to said first and said second end walls and said tapered arcuate wall member; a plurality of rib separators connected between the inner wall member and the outer wall member of said first and second end walls and said tapered arcuate wall member; said second end wall having two overlapping separated wall members for providing an entrance to said shelter; said overlapping wall members having inter'fitting edges, with -a total thickness substantially equal to the thickness of said second end wall; means for securing said interfitting edges together to close said entrance; an inflatable support within said shelter attached to the inner tapered arcuate wall of said shelter; said inflatable support having means for providing an air space between the man occupying the shelter and the top and sides of said shelter; and means on said inflatable support for receiving a pump fitting whereby said support may be inflated to erect the shelter.

2. A low profile shelter as set forth in claim 1 wherein said floor member consists of only a single layer of low air References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,533,820 4/1925 Whitehead 135-44 2,752,928 7/1956 Barker 522 2,812,769 11/1957 Schaefer 522 3,145,719 8/1964 Johnson 522 REINALDO P. MACHADO, Primary Examiner. 

1. A LOW PROFILE COMPLETELY CLOSED SHELTER FOR PROVIDING PROTECTION FOR A MAN AT EXTREMELY LOW TEMPERATURES; COMPRISING A FIRST ARCUATE-SHAPED END WALL; A SECOND ARCUATESHAPED END WALL LARGER THAN SAID FIRST END WALL; A TAPERED ARCUATE WALL MEMBER CONNECTING SAID FIRST END WALL AND SAID SECOND WALL; SAID FIRST END WALL AND SAID SECOND END WALL AND SAID TAPERED ARCUATE WALL MEMBER HAVING N INNER WALL MEMBER OF LOW AIR PERMEABILITY MATERIAL, AN OUTER WALL MEMBER OF LOW AIR PERMEABILITY MATERIAL AND AN AIR PERMEABLE INSULATING MATERIAL BETWEEN SAID INNER WALL MEMBER AND SAID OUTER WALL MEMBER TO PERMIT BREATHING WITHIN THE SHELTER AND TO SUBSTANTIALLY PREVENT WIND PASSAGE HEAT RADIATION THROUGH SAID WALLS; A FLOOR MEMBER, OF LOW AIR PERMEABILITY MATERIAL, SECURED TO SAID FIRST AND SAID SECOND END WALLS AND SAID TAPERED ARCUATE WALL MEMBER; A PLURALTIY OF RIB SEPARATORS CONECTED BETWEEN THE INNER WALL MEMBER AND THE OUTER WALL MEBER OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND END WALLS AND SAID TAPERED ARCUATE WALL MEMBER; SAID SECOND END WALL HAVING TWO OVERLAPPING SEPARATED WALL MEMBERS FOR PROVIDING AN ENTRANCE TO SAID SHELTER: SAID OVERLAPPING WALL MEMBERS HAVING INTERFITTING EDGES, WITH A TOTAL THICKNESS SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO THE THICKNESS OF SAID SECOND END WALL; MEANS FOR SECURING SAID INTERFITTING EDGES TOGETHER TO CLOSE SAID ENTRANCE; AN INFLATABLE SUPPORT WITHIN SAID SHELTER ATTACHED TO THE INNER TAPERED ARCUATE WALL OF SAID SHELTER; SAID INFLATABLE SUPPORT HAVING MEANS FOR PROVIDING AN AIR SPACE BETWEEN THE MAN OCCUPYING THE SHELTER AND THE TOP AND SIDES OF SAID SHELTER; AND MEANS ON SAID INFLATABLE SUPPORT FOR RECEIVING A PUMP FITTING WHEREBY SAID SUPPORT MAY BE INFLATED TO ERECT THE SHELTER. 